[Grumpygal]

Who? Me (age 31, 8th visit, 2nd solo visit)
When? June 5th to June 14th
Where? Port Orleans Riverside
Why? Just Because

Prologue

Again I suppose I should start with where the idea for this trip came about. During my last trip in December I started thinking about when my next trip should be. I thoroughly enjoyed my solo trip and came back feeling so refreshed and mellow that I was almost eager to embark on another solo trip. So even before I got home, I was already thinking that I might go back in June or July. I still had almost all of my vacation time from work left, which would have to be used by the end of July or I’d lose it.

But after I got home, a new trip quickly started being planned: a family trip for May 2004. Could I wait that long to go back to the World? Probably. So now the question again was what should I do with the vacation time I had left. I started kicking around other ideas, but as a woman traveling alone there aren’t a lot of places where I feel totally comfortable and safe. So the idea of Disney popped up again. I knew there I would feel perfectly comfortable since being at Disney is like being at home. And the idea was born, again.

I did things in a little bit of a backwards order this time. I used the codes to get a good deal on Port Orleans Riverside and put a hold on the room. Then I asked for the time off of work. I don’t usually do that. In the past I had always made sure I got off of work first then went ahead. [img]graemlins/ukid.gif[/img] Of course this is the first time that I am doing all of the booking on my own. (Thanks to Jennifer and Dave and all my Passporter friends for all the good tips and ideas.) So I didn’t have to worry about working through the travel agent and dealing with those deadlines. I could just keep track of it myself.

After I knew I had off of work, which ended up being no problem, I called the airline and booked my flight. I will usually only fly Midwest Express, now called Midwest Airlines. If you read my previous trip report you know that the chocolate chip cookies are to die for. [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] My motto: if Midwest doesn’t go there, I don’t really need to go there either. Luckily for me, Midwest flies to Orlando. I was able to get a flight for $247, which I was pretty happy about. Which got even better a week later when the airfare went down $25 and I got a credit for that to be used on a future flight.

I then called down and made my deposit on my room and made my special requests. I wanted a non-smoking room which is the only real non-negotiable. I asked for Alligator Bayou building 14 or 15 and if possible I would like a corner room. Hey, if you’re going to go making requests, might as well throw it all out there. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] So now all my big things were taken care of, except for the tickets. I decided I would get an annual pass. Why not, I’ll be back there in May 2004 and it’ll still be good then. I’ll really be getting my money’s worth. So now all I have to do is get to the DS to get the annual pass.

Now came the fun part: the planning. I can plan and re-plan with the best of them so I just went with it. Although this time I did decide to try to work with the budget chart. I planned out some meals and how much I thought I would be spending. At about 90 days out I called and made a couple of PS’s and will wait patiently (yeah right) [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] for the 60-day mark to make the rest.

March 15, 2003: 82 days out and I finally felt better after being off of work almost week with some nasty flu bug. I did hop on the boards for a little while to catch up and saw the new codes posted. Well, I just had to try my hand at applying them to my existing reservation. Sure enough I was able to apply the new code and ended up saving a little over $100. Big bonus for me. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

April 5, 2003: 31 days out and my sister got a postcard in the mail with even better rates. So I figured might as well call and try it. The worst that can happen is they can say no you can’t use it. After I figured out what the pin number on the card was I was able to use the new code. It was for $74 per night. I ended up saving another $200 on my room. I’ll have to buy her a nice gift in thanks.

April 12, 2003: 54 days out and I called to make my PS for the Plaza Restaurant in the MK. Got a 12:00 seating. Now I think I’ve taken care of all the PS that I’m going to make prior to leaving.

April 23, 2003: 43 days out and I called Disney and ordered my Annual Pass. The voucher will be received in 7-10 business days. I’m much more comfortable paying the $3.00 postage on this and getting it directly from them as opposed to taking my chances on the Disney Store. I have more control over it this way. The AP rates finally came out on Monday, but they are the same as what I’m getting with the postcard so I don’t have to worry about changing it.

May 1, 2003: 35 days out and I got my AP in the mail and am pretty well set for everything now. [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

Coming up June 5 Day 1: Are We There Yet? Are We There Yet?

[ 08-11-2003, 09:57 AM: Message edited by: Grumpygal ]